Prejudice In Julie Otuska's When The Emperor Was Divine

What forms of prejudice does society accept more? Why are these forms of prejudice more acceptable than others? Julie Otuska explores and challenges the idea of prejudice and how it’s perceived by society. The girl, the boy, and the mother are the characters in the book that show the end result of prejudice. Their individuality drastically changes from the beginning to the end of the book. In When the Emperor was Divine, Julie Otsuka portrays how marginalization of Japanese Americans during World War II shows how fear of prejudice from society leads individuals to behave in opposition to their identity.
In chapter one through three, Otsuka reveals the prejudice Japanese Americans faced through the obligated camps they were forced to go to

After the war, the girl and boy are left to catch up where they left off in their daily lives. Inorder to fit they had to act differently due to the consequences that came with being who they were. Whenever their mom would call them from across the street; they would pretend not to hear her so that, “We would never be mistaken for the enemy again!” (Otsuka 114). The boy and girl’s fear of being associated with the enemy causes them to act inaccurate to their identity. Otuska illustrates the fear the boy and girl felt by making them deny they are Japanese American. The fear they felt was a result of prejudice they faced at the incarcerated in isolated camps. During the time they were at the camp, Japanese Americans were identified by the number they were given at the train station. People believed “We were just mere slaves to the Emperor. We didn’t even have names. I was 326” (Otsuka, 119). The family was identified by numbers at the camp and their identities were taken from them. This shows they had no choice to use their names. Otsuka stresses their misidentification to show they were deprived of identity because the society was being prejudiced towards